.svg)
.svg)
Search
Food and Beverage Retained Search Services
By Lars Miller · Last updated: October 14, 2026
Protis Global provides retained search services for food and beverage companies: breweries, distilleries, non-alcoholic beverage brands, snack makers, and food manufacturers. The firm has recruited only in consumer brands since 1995, places talent at every level from analyst to board, and ties each fee installment to a milestone the client approves.
Roles covered: analyst to board
Retained search at Protis Global covers the whole food and beverage org chart. Recent work includes national account executives calling on Kroger and Albertsons for Vitamin Well, a retail execution manager for New Belgium, a sourcing manager for MALK Organics, and senior brewery manager and EHSS searches for Mark Anthony Brewing.
The same model fills commercial, operations, supply chain, quality, finance, and R&D seats: an interim plant controller for a food manufacturer, a regional key account manager for a spirits producer, a general manager for a brewery hospitality business. Large generalist firms reserve retained work for the C-suite. We run the same three-person search team and the same process for a field sales team member as for a CEO, because a bad hire hurts the brand at any level. Our guide to retained search for food and beverage leaders in 2026 covers how the model has changed.
A standing weekly candidate review with every client
Every Protis Global client gets a standing weekly candidate review meeting. In that meeting the search team walks new candidates against your must-haves and nice-to-haves, debriefs interviews while they are fresh, and agrees on next steps before anyone leaves the call.
Three team members work each search: a lead consultant, a recruiter, and a researcher. A candidate goes through two interviews with us before reaching your hiring manager. We screen for skills first, then for pace of play, meaning whether someone built for a founder-led sprint can thrive under private equity reporting rhythms, or the reverse.
The weekly rhythm holds through the offer. On recent searches that meant working through bonus leveling, prorated performance increases, start dates, and capped relocation reimbursement with the client before a written offer went out, so the candidate heard one consistent story and accepted. Read more about the model on our approach page.
Fees tied to milestones you approve
Protis Global bills retained search fees in installments tied to milestones the client controls. The second installment comes due when we present a slate of talent, in most searches two or three people, and you approve them to interview. The final installment comes due at placement. You have a say in when the second and third installments are paid.
At many firms the calendar dictates milestone payments: the later installments fall due 30 or 60 days after kickoff whether the search has moved or stalled. No search firm can promise a hire will succeed, and we make no such promise. Tying payments to milestones you approve keeps our incentives pointed at your outcome. Before you sign with any firm, read 7 things to know about retained search for CPG.
Retained vs. contingency for food and beverage roles
Retained search fits searches where the cost of a wrong hire or a long vacancy outweighs the fee: plant leadership, national accounts, commercial leadership, and any confidential search. Contingency can work for roles with deep, active candidate pools. The table below shows the practical differences.
| Dimension | Retained (Protis Global) | Contingency |
|---|---|---|
| Commitment | Dedicated six-person team until the seat is filled | Recruiter works many roles at once, paid only on a hire |
| Candidate pool | Active and passive talent, mapped from 30+ years in consumer brands | Mostly active applicants |
| Cadence | Standing weekly candidate review meeting | Ad hoc updates |
| Payment | Installments tied to milestones the client approves | Full fee at placement |
| Confidentiality | Standard, including confidential replacements and new roles | Harder to protect across many agencies |
| Best for | Plant, commercial, and executive seats where a mis-hire is expensive | High-volume roles with deep applicant pools |
What a mis-hire costs a food and beverage company
Brad Smart, the researcher behind Topgrading, cites Chief Executive Magazine's estimate that a mis-hired CEO earning $1 million costs the business $27 million, roughly 27 times salary, once severance, lost momentum, and team attrition are counted. The multiple shrinks below the C-suite, and the damage stays real: a wrong national account hire can cost a reset at Kroger, and a wrong plant controller can cost a failed audit. Our guide to retained search ROI for consumer brand hires walks through the math.
Why food and beverage specialization matters
Protis Global has worked in consumer brands, and nowhere else, since 1995. That focus shows up in the numbers: 3,000+ placements, 9,395+ first-round interviews, 48 percent diverse placements, and $754 million in client-credited economic impact. One pet-health search screened more than 800 professionals to produce three offers. Hunt Scanlon has named the firm to its America's Top 250 Recruiting Firms list for three consecutive years.
Specialization also means the network already exists when your search starts. Case studies like Poppi and Mark Anthony Brewing show the work, and our beer, wine, and spirits practice covers the alcohol side of the aisle. For a market view, see our comparison of 12 food and beverage executive search firms. Building Companies. Changing Lives.®
Frequently asked questions
What roles do food and beverage retained search services cover?
At Protis Global, every level: analysts, field sales team members, national account executives for retailers such as Kroger, Albertsons, and Walmart, retail execution managers, sourcing managers, plant and brewery leadership, quality and EHSS leaders, directors, VPs, C-suite, and board seats. The same three-person team and weekly review apply at each level.
How are retained search fees structured?
Fees arrive in installments tied to milestones the client approves. The second installment comes due when the firm presents a slate of talent, in most searches two or three people, and the client approves them to interview. The final installment comes due at placement. The client has a say in when the second and third installments are paid.
What happens in the weekly candidate review meeting?
The search team presents new candidates against the role's must-haves and nice-to-haves, debriefs completed interviews, and agrees on next steps. At offer stage the meeting covers compensation structure, bonus proration, relocation support, and start dates, so the offer lands clean the first time.
Does Protis Global work with breweries and beverage companies?
Yes. Beverage work spans non-alcoholic brands, beer, wine, spirits, and distributors. Recent searches include brewery leadership for Mark Anthony Brewing, a retail execution manager for New Belgium, and national account executives for Vitamin Well.
